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Columbia Business Monthly

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Last Updated: May 10, 2022 03:36PM • Subscribe via RSS • ATOM

Blue (Collar) is the New Gold

May 10, 2022 03:36PM ● By Marty Flynn

Our human tendency to label things has rarely served us well because it promotes separation and division, and the only place that separation through labeling seems to make sense is in the laundry hamper. I have recently been contemplating one particular example of labeling that divided our work force, and has shaped the career mindset of many generations.

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Clapping for DEI: There’s No Cookie-Cutter Approach to Diversity

May 10, 2022 03:27PM ● By Tracy R. Powell

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands! This children’s song has been in families for years, although the original release date is undetermined. When speaking about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), I often use this song as a part of my presentation, as it is a reminder of the pure innocence of children. In daycare and kindergarten, we did not choose our friends by race, class, political party, or status.

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Small Businesses Bring Jobs, Not to Mention a Unique Flavor, to South Carolina

May 10, 2022 03:18PM ● By Donna Isbell Walker

Small businesses dominate the corporate landscape in South Carolina, and that’s a good thing. Our state in 2020 had more than 431,000 small businesses, which are defined by the U.S. Small Business Administration as companies with fewer than 500 employees. That translates to 99.4 percent of all the businesses in South Carolina.

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Columbia Business Monthly
Living Color Highlights

Apr 15, 2022 03:03PM ● By Lori Coon

Informative sessions on such topics as unconscious bias, setting DEI goals, and communication strategies to promote DEI in the workplace.

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SCDOT Hitting Goals Halfway into 10-Year Plan to Improve State’s Roads, Bridges

Apr 12, 2022 05:22PM ● By Zach Mcjunkin

Halfway into South Carolina’s 10-year plan to improve and preserve the state’s roads, highways and bridges, the state’s Department of Transportation leader says the SCDOT is “meeting and exceeding” its goals.

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Bull Riding Brings Novel Entertainment, Cash to Greenville Economy

Apr 12, 2022 05:18PM ● By John C. Stevenson

Greenville is bullish on professional bull riding. That was the conclusion offered recently by an executive of the Professional Bull Riders sports organization, over a January weekend that saw a capacity crowd of 8,100 people file into the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on a Saturday night to watch 40 athletes attempt to stay atop a bevy of 1,800-pound bucking bulls, for a “mere” eight seconds.

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Designing the Future: McMillan Pazdan Smith

Apr 12, 2022 05:08PM ● By Amy Bonesteel

With a portfolio that includes repurposed historic properties, high-tech, sustainable buildings for schools and industry, as well as retail and residential projects, architecture firm McMillan Pazdan Smith (MPS) has a varied list of projects.

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‘Fighting the Noble Fight’ Trauma Doctors Make Split-Second Decisions to Save Lives

Apr 12, 2022 05:02PM ● By Liv Osby

A framed photo of a little girl pedaling a bicycle occupies a special place on Dr. Robert Gates’ desk. When she was just 1½, she was so seriously injured in a wreck it wasn’t certain she’d recover fully. But several years later, her parents sent the picture to let Gates know how well she was doing. It serves as a reminder of why he does the work he does.

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Maintaining and Expanding Upstate Infrastructure : How Laurens County is Prepared for its Future

Apr 12, 2022 04:55PM ● By Jeff Field

Laurens County has long had a strong reputation for attracting industrial development. We are a large county located in the Upstate with two major interstates and an abundance of rail access. The county has a highly successful workforce development program through the Laurens County Development Corporation with support from the local school districts and Piedmont Technical College.

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Ten at the Top Roundtable

Apr 12, 2022 04:33PM ● By David Dykes

As the Upstate’s population continues to grow, utilities and municipalities are working to ensure that the power grid and water systems are able to keep up with demand

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‘One Voice’ Performance Shares the History of African Americans Through Spoken Word

Apr 12, 2022 01:27PM ● By Donna Isbell Walker

“One Voice,” Jeremiah Dew’s exploration of Black history through the words of historical figures, uses Dew’s voice to illuminate the struggles and triumphs of Black Americans over the past 200 years. But the production, which Dew presented at First Presbyterian Church in Greenville on Feb. 13, also utilized the voices of others, of African Americans with ties to Greenville, to tell a larger story of history writ large and small.

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Worxbee: Fine-Tuning the Virtual Executive Assistant

Apr 11, 2022 05:27PM ● By Amy Bonesteel

If timing is everything, then Kenzie Biggins’ instinct has served her well. In the third year of running her business she says she was “floundering and trying to figure out what was next,” when she took a mentor’s advice and moved to Greenville.

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Charleston’s Bustling Commercial Real Estate Market Being Driven by Post-Pandemic Habits

Apr 11, 2022 05:23PM ● By C. Grant Jackson

For Charleston, the focus on commercial real estate is the robust industrial market driven by the Port of Charleston. Real estate brokers see a market poised for strong growth for years to come. Charleston’s office and retail market segments are also seeing growth as they strive to overcome the pandemic-induced downturn of the last two years.

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Columbia’s Commercial Real Estate Market Going Strong Despite Recent Challenges

Apr 11, 2022 05:10PM ● By C. Grant Jackson

As the coronavirus pandemic has continued, Columbia’s commercial real estate market has been resilient, and commercial brokers and agents see the market remaining strong across all sectors. “The foundation is strong if you are in the Midlands. Compared to a lot of the national stories of doom and gloom, we haven’t seen that here, and I don’t expect we will see that here,” said Allen Wilkerson, vice president of Colliers International in Columbia.

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Greenville Investment and Growth Continuing in Face of Global Concerns

Apr 11, 2022 05:04PM ● By L. C. Leach III

Never mind current inflation, worker shortages, high construction costs, supply chain troubles, the crisis in Ukraine and Russia, or ongoing concerns with coronavirus. While all of these issues are usually economic deterrents, the Greenville-Spartanburg area and other parts of the Upstate continue to show more and more signs of economic vibrancy, a healthy job market, and new commercial investment in an ongoing, growing area.

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Commercial Real Estate Market Showing Growth Across South Carolina

Apr 11, 2022 04:48PM ● By C. Grant Jackson

As the U.S. economy emerges from the shadow of the pandemic of the last two years, South Carolina’s commercial real estate market remains strong and poised for continued growth across all sectors, but especially in the industrial segment.

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In Uncertain Times, Mentoring Is the Silver Bullet Solution Leaders Need

Apr 11, 2022 04:07PM ● By Bert Thornton

Organizations in all industries have been hit hard over the last two years. The pandemic and its ripple effects have left leaders desperately wondering, What’s going to happen next? And how do I manage it? Unless you have a crystal ball, there’s no way to accurately answer the first question, but I have a suggestion to help you tackle the second: mentoring.

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Inclusive Decision Making: Four Questions to Ask Yourself When Making Decisions

Apr 11, 2022 03:41PM ● By Beth Ruffin

Business leaders who understand the need for diversity, equity, and inclusion often find themselves grappling with how to operationalize and formalize the work. A good place to start is to ensure that you’re making inclusive decisions – those that serve all.

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Create a Technical Maintenance Support Team That Helps Decrease Downtime

Apr 11, 2022 03:03PM ● By Rodney A. Jones

It is a new year with companies creating new goals. The goals may be different, but they all consist of the same concepts. To run with little to no downtime and develop suitable products, I have recently started a new industry training program here at Clemson University. This program is designed to help companies get their maintenance support trained to help eliminate some of this downtime. Identifying and correcting issues before they happen is a skill maintenance support need.

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Manufacturing in 2030: Why Advancing Beyond Disruption Requires a More Innovative Approach

Apr 11, 2022 02:52PM ● By Jessica Donan

South Carolina is a phenomenal place to do business and home to companies that are driving innovation in the aerospace, agribusiness, automotive, and technology industries. One of the state’s most valuable features for businesses is the Port of Charleston, which has the deepest water in the Southeast and regularly handles ships too big to travel through the Panama Canal.

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Business Leaders Share Challenges, Triumphs After Two Years of Covid-19 Turmoil

Apr 11, 2022 01:23PM ● By David Dykes

Just about everyone can talk about how Covid-19 and the aftermath have affected them personally, or professionally. Business and restaurant owners know. Hotel operators and teachers know. Health care workers know. Parents know.

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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Executives Talk About What it Means and Why it’s Important

Jan 28, 2022 04:36PM ● By Donna Isbell Walker

Q. What has influenced your thinking about DEI and motivated you to get involved in being an advocate for change?

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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is a Key Business Strategy in an Ever-Evolving Business World

Jan 28, 2022 03:47PM ● By Donna Isbell Walker

Lee Gill fondly remembers his college days at University of Michigan, where he and his friends would fiercely debate the issues of the day. Gill, who hailed from South Bend, Ind., was thrilled to hear unfamiliar perspectives from people of different backgrounds and cultures. He enjoyed having his views challenged and looking at the world from a different vantage point than the one he’d grown up with in Indiana.

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